Environmental Engineering Program, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, British Columbia, Canada.
School of Engineering, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada.
J Environ Sci Health A Tox Hazard Subst Environ Eng. 2023;58(3):211-221. doi: 10.1080/10934529.2023.2178788. Epub 2023 Feb 20.
This research aims to evaluate the effect of ultrasonic processing parameters (power and sonication time), emulsion characteristics (water salinity and pH) and their interaction on oil-in-water emulsion stability for Cold Lake Blend (CLB) crude oil. Response surface methodology was used to design experimental runs, in which the parameters were investigated at five levels. Emulsion stability was evaluated by measuring creaming index, emulsion turbidity and microscopic image analysis. The effect of crude oil condition (fresh and weathered) on the emulsion stability was also investigated at the optimum sonication parameters and emulsion characteristics. The optimum condition was found at a power level of 76-80 W, sonication time of 16 mins, water salinity of 15 g/L NaCl, and pH of 8.3. Increasing sonication time beyond the optimum value had adverse effect on the emulsion stability. High water salinity (> 20 g/L NaCl) and pH (> 9) decreased the emulsion stability. These adverse effects intensified at higher power levels (> 80-87 W) and longer sonication times (> 16 mins). Interaction of parameters showed that the required energy to generate stable emulsion was within 60 - 70 kJ. Emulsion with fresh crude oil was more stable than those generated with the weathered oil.
本研究旨在评估超声处理参数（功率和超声时间）、乳状液特性（水的盐度和 pH 值）及其相互作用对冷湖混合（CLB）原油水包油乳状液稳定性的影响。响应面法被用于设计实验，其中参数在五个水平上进行了研究。通过测量乳状液的稠度指数、乳状液浊度和微观图像分析来评估乳状液稳定性。还研究了原油状态（新鲜和风化）对最佳超声参数和乳状液特性下乳状液稳定性的影响。在功率水平为 76-80 W、超声时间为 16 分钟、水的盐度为 15 g/L NaCl 和 pH 值为 8.3 的最佳条件下发现了最优条件。超过最佳值的超声时间会对乳状液稳定性产生不利影响。高水盐度（>20 g/L NaCl）和高 pH 值（>9）会降低乳状液稳定性。在更高的功率水平（>80-87 W）和更长的超声时间（>16 分钟）下，这些不利影响会加剧。参数的相互作用表明，产生稳定乳状液所需的能量在 60-70 kJ 之间。与风化油相比，新鲜原油生成的乳状液更稳定。
